I've seen things no one should, done things no one should talk about. Honor and conscience have no place in my life. But I've fought and I've survived. I've had to.

The first time I saw her dancing on that seedy stage in that second rate club, I felt my heart pulse for the first time. Keelyn Foster was too young, too vibrant for this place, and I knew in an instant that I would make her mine. But first I had to climb my way to the top. I had to have something more to offer her.

I'm here now, money is no object and I have no equal. Except for her. She's disappeared. But don't worry, I will find her and claim her. She will be mine.

Like I said, don't be fooled. I am not the devil in disguise… I'm the one front and center.

“I was fighting myself. Fighting the things I couldn’t control. Fighting the urge to simply take without asking and ruing any chance I had at forever with the one person I had ever wanted to promise that to.”

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I like Jay Crownover’s style. I’ve read every one of her novels, and I plan on reading more. I might not always like her delivery, but for some reason her voice pulls me in. With Honor, I liked nearly every damn thing. Honor might well be my favorite Crownover to date because this highly charged, sexy, thrilling, emotional ride has both style and soul. Keelyn and Nassir are now my favorite Crownover pair because they’re so perfectly matched and crazy beautiful together.

“What happens if who I am disappears for real this time because Nassir is enough to suck even all of this into that vortex of menace and danger that swirls around him.”

Honor begins where Better When He’s Brave left off. Well, not exactly, because there’s an expository heavy prologue that at first annoyed me, but later I found enhanced the story. I’ll expand on that in a bit. Anyway, Honor begins where Brave left off, and though you don’t need to read Brave to get the full picture, you may need to read it to get the full feeling. Though, I might just be saying that because it’s my favorite of The Point series (Honor is the opener for The Breaking Point series) and my good feelings carried over to this new series.

Honor opens with Keelyn in Denver, attempting to start a new, shiny life away from the grime and blood of The Point. She’s also attempting to stay away from Nassir’s dangerous pull. She’s got a new look, a new attitude, and new (familiar) friends. But, it only takes one visit from Nassir for her to realize that starting over isn’t as easy or simple as running away.

“I’m not giving you my heart.” I said in the exact same way that I had told him I was never coming home. Solidifying the fact that I was a terrible liar.”

Nassir Gates is a devil on a mission and he goes to Denver motivated to get Kee back to where she belongs—with him. I must warn, there’s a scene in the beginning when something happens that would usually have my back up, my feminist-o-meter pinging, and would lead me to write off a character, but this time it didn’t. It fit the story and it fit the characters. I accepted these characters wholly from the very beginning, which made reading Honor an exciting experience because I was invested. Nassir is a polished brute, and Kee is no angel, and together they’re deliciously bad.

“I never had control before I took it for myself. I almost died to get it, so now I’m protective about keeping it. Just like I never had a real reason to fight for something until you.”

I loved Nassir. In a lot of ways, this is Keelyn’s story, but in every way this novel is about Nassir. He’s the king of The Point, even though others have been in charge. He’s the one who makes things happen, and things always go his way. We get his backstory in the opening pages and it’s a story charged with immense heartache and punishing pain, both received and expressed. Nassir isn’t good, and though this is a love story, he isn’t soft. He loves Keelyn and that’s it. I liked that I had all the info on Nassir before the story began to unfold. I understood his behavior and his motivations, as twisted as they seemed at times. Like so many of the characters in this world Crownover created, he’s a product of his past and he attacks the world differently because of it.

“She knew that it was going to take to stand by my side and protect what is ours.”

Honor follows two strong-willed characters battling to stay in control. Keelyn and Nassir circle each other like two boxers in a ring–or two dogs on the street–neither willing to give in, but both realizing that if they want to have it all, they might need to bend. I liked their power play, which added electricity to their already explosive chemistry. There was a nice burn as Crownover teased the sex and delivered the suspense. I particularly enjoyed the suspense woven in with the story, because it wasn’t what I expected. I liked that arc, the ‘villain’, and how everything resolved itself, especially Nassir’s growth. I’m being vague, I know, but you’ll get it when you read it. Crownover introduced a whole new urchin class of characters and I can’t wait to get to meet them again. Jay Crownover has always been good at creating vibrant characters with impressive personalities, and I’m hoping the ones she gave glimpses of will be featured in this new series.

When I finished reading this I claimed that it might be better than Rule (my favorite Crownover book to this point). Melissa cried, “Whaaa?” and I said, “Maybe.” I’ve had some time to think about it and my claim still stands. They’re different reads, so it’s hard to be clear which one I love more, but I think that because of who I am, and the complexities I love to see in people, Honor has a stronger claim on me. Now, you read it and decide.